Street Fighter IV: E. Honda

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The franchise's one and only sumo wrestler.

By Ryan Clements

If you're a hardcore Street Fighter fan and you're not excited about Street Fighter IV, you're either playing too much Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, or you're crazy. Regardless, Street Fighter IV is shipping out on February 17th and is one of the most anticipated titles of 2009. Not only does the game bring fan favorites like Ken and Ryu back into the ring, but new fighters are on the way as well to make this an extremely appetizing roster. With so many fighters to talk about, we decided to go hands-on with each character on a daily basis, leading up to the game's release. If you've been wondering how the newcomers feel or what sort of changes the series veterans have undergone, we'll let you know.

Another one of the original characters from Street Fighter II, E. Honda is a large, powerful sumo wrestler interested in bringing the art of sumo to the world. Although his build appears to be one of a hardened, fierce man, Honda is honest and very passionate about his sport, hoping that the entire world can develop an interest in sumo wrestling. Now that he's making a return to the Street Fighter tournament, new players can experience the classic mix of his charging attacks with the power of his Hundred Hand Slap. In the hands of an experienced player, Honda can cause some serious devastation in the ring.

For a sweet E. Honda montage, look no further.

One of the first moves listed in Honda's repertoire is the Shikofumi, a powerful stomping attack that takes a notable amount of time to wind up. Fortunately for the sumo wrestler, the Shikofumi is the ending move in his two-part Target Combo, which begins with a standing medium punch. This punch can briefly knock Honda's opponent off balance, giving him enough time to rear back with the Shikofumi.

The rest of Honda's move set is very much a traditional collection of attacks. His iconic Hundred Hand Slap is easily accessible by pounding away at one of the punch buttons. As has always been the case, this technique can be vicious when used against a cornered opponent, as he or she is essentially locked in place by the constant hits. Honda's other signature move, the Sumo Headbutt, also appears in Street Fighter IV. By doing a simple charge back and then hitting forward with a punch, Honda launches across the stage, head first. There's a fairly notable damage discrepancy between the light and heavy versions of the Headbutt, but the move is still useful for covering a lot of space quickly. Unfortunately, Honda is terribly vulnerable to projectiles during this technique, so you must use it wisely. It can also be used to finish a combo, stemming from either a crouching light punch or crouching medium kick.

Honda also sports a handy Sumo Smash, which causes him to jump diagonally upwards and then smash down on top of an opponent. This technique is particularly nice because it can hit Honda's opponent on the way up as well as on the way back down. If timed well, it can also help Honda sail clear over a projectile and smash down on the defenseless attacker.

Of course, Honda also has the Oicho Throw, which is a fairly vicious, easy-to-execute grab that can be performed right after landing a Focus Attack. This simple combination can dish out an obscene amount of damage and can wipe out nearly a third of an opponent's health in moments.

Honda's Super and Ultra Combos are also powerful, but one thing Honda players will definitely need to master is the inclusion of the Hundred Hand Slap in actual combos, which is much more challenging than it might sound. There are numerous combos that actually jump right from a normal attack to the Hundred Hand Slap and meld right into another normal attack, which will put your fingers to the test.

Even though E. Honda's combos might be tough, he's still a worthy character to learn. But if you're in the mood for even more Street Fighter action, check our character montage hub page for plenty of videos and our Insider channel for some slick desktop images.